Pest Facts
Spiders:
Why not do monthly pest control?
Good Question!
In this climate the insects are dormant and inactive in the winter months. When temperatures are 50 degrees and below, an insect’s respiratory system is slowed down, much like that of a reptile. The insecticides will have little effect on them because their systems are so slow. It is a waste of your money to spray.
Will this spray kill the eggs and prevent the spiders from hatching?
NO!
The insecticides will have no affect on the eggs. They will still hatch out!
Do we have Brown Recluse spiders here?
The answer is no! According to the state entomologist there are no brown recluse spiders west of the Rocky Mountains. They can be carried in, but cannot reproduce in this climate.
Good facts on brown recluse spider website for info: http://spiders.ucr.edu/
What dangerous spiders do we have here?
Well, there are black widows.
Blackwidows: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_widow_spider
And Brown Widows:
http://sarasota.extension.ufl.edu/IPM/BrownWidow.htm
There are also Wolf spiders. They are generally fuzzy looking, gray or brown in color, usually about the size of a silver dollar or smaller. Their bite can cause tissue damage, especially to elderly people and smaller children.
Wolf spiders: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolf_spider
Will the pesticides hurt my children or pets?
The sprays we use are all registered for schools and hospitals and are very mild. They are very effective on insects and virtually harmless to humans. We do not use fumigants or anything you will inhale or breathe! If you have a chemical allergy, we ask that you notify us and leave the area for at least 4 hours.
When we are spraying we ask that you keep your pets out of the area until we are done spraying. After the spray is dry, generally one hour, it is safe for them to return to the yard. If you have any water dishes or food bowls, we ask that you bring those inside until we are done. The chemicals are most dangerous when absorbed through the skin when wet, or consumed directly.
When we spray inside your home, we do “crack and crevice” treatments only. If there is any residual after one hour, we ask that you put on a pair of rubber gloves and wipe up any dampness left over.
Trees & Yard:
When is a good time to treat for elm leaf beetle?
The optimal time to spray for elm beetle to stop the leaves from looking lacy is when the temperatures reach 90 degrees F or more. (Usually no earlier than July). The elm beetle will not lay their eggs until this time. The larvae hatching & feeding on the leaves is what gives the leaves a lacy appearance. It is also important to spray not just the tree, but the entire yard for elm beetle. During the winter months, the elm beetle seek shelter & hibernate in the siding and attic areas of your home They can become quite a nuisance pest and invade your home as the days become warmer! Immediate action should be taken to control them! Elm Beetle can also be treated with the systemic insect control.
http://www.entomology.umn.edu/cues/Web/119ElmLeafBeetle.pdf
What is a box elder bug and how do I get rid them?
Box elder bugs can become a nuisance because they enter homes in large numbers. Fortunately, they do not bite people and are essentially harmless. When abundant, they can stain walls, curtains, and other surfaces with their excrement. Just as the elm beetle, as the weather cools, box elder bugs push into cracks and spaces around homes. Box elder bugs can reproduce frequently, so control is very important. Several treatments throughout the spring and summer may be necessary for their control.
http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/components/FS00998.pdf
What do I need to do to control aphids on my trees and shrubs?
An obvious sign of an aphid infestation on your trees and shrubs is a sticky substance found on the leaves and on the base of the tree. This is a sugary substance called honey dew and is the aphid’s secretion or excrement. There are several methods to controlling aphids.
Systemic Insect Control: The chemical is placed in the ground in early spring or late fall. The tree absorbs the chemical, and as an insect starts to suck, it will die.
Pre-emergent dormant oil sprays will smother any eggs left over from the previous year. This is done before the leaves or blossoms come out. After the leaves emerge, another spray or two are recommended to kill any aphids which fly in and re-infest the tree.
http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/insect/05511.html
I have a white cottony stuff all over my tree. What is it?
These are woolly aphids and are easily controlled by spraying!
I have these bugs with a pincher butt. What are they and can you kill them?
These are earwigs! Earwigs can become a nuisance because of their habit of hiding within leaves and feeding on soft plant tissues. Since they prefer cool, moist places, treatment of them in flower beds & underneath the sub-area of your house is important.
http://entweb.clemson.edu/eiis/pdfs/hs37.pdf
My trees and shrubs start turning yellowish and even brown in color.
What do I have?
You could have spidermites. They most often affect trees and shrubs in the summer. They can effectively be treated, starting with a dormant spray in the spring, and 2 other sprays in the summer using a miticide.
Spidermites: http://entweb.clemson.edu/eiis/pdfs/to13.pdf
I have these tiny flea-looking insects all over my sidewalk and around the base of my house. What are they?
This is the false cinch bug. These bugs do not bite or sting humans. Insecticides are usually not effective unless used over a wide area. Temporary control may be achieved through the use of insecticide sprays, but they will generally reside within a few weeks.
http://www.ocvcd.org/bulletins/False%20Chinch%20Bugs.pdf
I have these tiny little red bugs inside my house & all over my window sills. What are they?
You have clovermites! Clovermites look like tiny red mites. They feed primarily on the lawn and congregate on the sunny side of your home. They crawl into cracks around windows or in foundation walls.
Clovermites: http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2095.html
Powdery mildew. This is a fungus and can be treated by spraying a fungicide.
Powdery mildew: http://hgic.clemson.edu/pdf/hgic2049.pdf
Rodents:
I have pets. Will the rodents baits hurt my pets if they catch a mouse and eat it? What if my pet eats the bait?
The baits are not secondary killers. If your dog or cat catches a mouse and eats the mouse after it has eaten the bait, it will not kill your pet. If your pet eats the bait directly, please take them to the veterinarian immediatlely. The baits we use are anti-coagulants, which means they will cause internal bleeding. They can be stopped and treated if you act fast. All of our baits are placed in tamper-resistant boxes, however, some persistent dogs have been known to chew through the box & get to the bait. If you think your dog will, please notify the technician, and we will only place the bait where the animal cannot gain access.
For vole treatments: The treated grain we use is placed down in the rodent holes. We will try to place it as far in the hole as we can. We recommend NOT BAITING in the same yard where your dogs have access to.
FOR SQUIRREL BAITING: We do place the squirrel bait in boxes placed on the exterior and down the animal’s burrow. We recommend NOT BAITING in the same yard where your dogs have access to.
If the mice eat the bait can they die in my walls and underneath my house?
The answer is yes they can. Howerever, this is only a problem with large infestations. If you are concerned about them dying in the walls and subarea, we do have mouse traps which they run into and cannot get out of. These traps do need to be checked on a monthly basis, and we do offer a monthly rodent program.
What is the difference between a common house mouse and the deer mouse?
The deer mouse is associated with the Hanti-Virus. The Deer mouse is distinguishable with it’s white belly. Deer mice excrete the hanti-virus in their urine, saliva, and droppings. A person may be exposed to hanti-virus by breathing contaminated dust after disturbing or cleaning rodent droppings or nests, or by living or working in rodent-infested settings.
I have ground squirrels digging in and around my house. Can you do anything for them? Yes!
High populations of ground squirrels may pose a serious pest problem. The squirrels can undermine foundations on homes and serve as a potential disease reservoir. Currently, direct population reduction with poison grain bait is the most practical method of ground squirrel control for most situations. http://cecalaveras.ucdavis.edu/squirrel.htm
I have mounds in my flowerbeds and yard. What are they and how are they controlled?
The pocket gopher is a medium-sized burrowing animal. They cause damage both by what they eat and by the above ground mounds created when burrowing. They are one of the most harmful and annoying rodents. The easiest and least time-consuming method of pocket gopher control is by poisoning. Using bait relished by gophers by placing it in the main burrows, with as little disturbance as possible will give the best results.
http://www.ext.colostate.edu/PUBS/NATRES/06515.html
I have mounds in my yard that look like a horse-shoe shape. What burroughing animal is this?
Moles!
Mole activity can also cause considerable damage to lawns and flower gardens. This damage is usually in the form of tunnels and/or mounds in lawn that can be unsightly, disturb root systems, and provide cover or travel lanes for other small mammals. Trapping and baiting are the most effective and practical method of mole control.
I have small holes in the ground, about 1 to 2 inches in diameter. I also have shrubs that are dying. What do I have?
Voles cause damage by feeding on a wide range of garden plants and their roots. If voles gnaw completely around the trunk or roots, the tree's flow of nutrients and water will be disrupted; this is called girdling. Girdling damage on trunks and roots can kill trees. They usually leave holes in the ground about 1 to 2 inches in diameter. They are best controlled by baiting.
I’ve seen a large gray, buff or reddish brown looking rat. What is it?
Packrats.
They are primarily notcurnal in nature. They range from 8 to 20 inches long, with a 3 to 9 inch tail. They can be controlled with baiting.
http://www.desertusa.com/mag99/apr/papr/packrats.html
Wasps, Yellowjackets & Hornets:
I have wasps and yellowjackets around my house! What can I do?
Wasps may become aggressive scavengers around human food and may be common around outdoor activities where food or drinks are served. Spraying can be done to help with your outdoor events. Also placing wasps traps can help with control. Make sure you place these traps away from your patio and doorways because they do attract the insects!
I have these little black aggressive bees and a large paper nest hanging in a tree. What are they and can you kill them?
Bald-face hornets are best known for their large football-shaped paper nest, which they build in the spring for raising their young. These nests can sometimes reach 3 feet tall. Bald-faced hornets are extremely protective of their nests and will sting repeatedly if disturbed. The main area of the body that bald faced hornets attack on humans is the facial area. We can easily spray down nests out of large trees!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bald-faced_hornet
Ants:
I have tiny little ants invading my home. Can you treat them?
Odorous House Ants or “sugar ants” are usually about 1/16 to 1/8 inch in length. The odorous house ant is dark brown to black in color. They can quickly invade the home. We can control them. Ask us about our 1 month guarantee on ants.
http://cru.cahe.wsu.edu/CEPublications/eb1550e/eb1550e.pdf
I have ants and small mounds in my yard. What are they and how do I control them?
Harvester Ants are usually black or red in color. They generally clear large circular areas completely free of any vegetation around the nest entrance hole. A few species are known to clear an area up to 30 feet or more in diameter. Other species may only clear a few feet. Some species construct mounds, while others carry the excavated soil away from the nest and discard it. These ants aggressively defend their nests and will bite vigorously; some species will sting. Harvester ants are easily controlled through the use of ant baits.
I have a large looking black ant and/or I’m seeing sawdust. What do I have?
Carpenter ants are a wood-destroying pest. They can cause lots of damage to the home by excavating the wood and building nests in walls. They prefer softened wood, usually caused by water damage. Signs of carpenter ants are usually sawdust. To distinguish between ants and termites, ants have 3 body parts, termites only have 2 body parts. Carpenter ants can be large and small in size. Spraying & baits can be very effective treatments.
Termites:
I think I might have termites in my house. What types of termites do we have here?
We have Western subterranean termites. We can treat these. For more information and identification, please click on the website below!
http://www.termite.com/termites/western-subterranean-termite.html
Additional information on some common insects:
Bedbugs PDF: http://www.nysipm.cornell.edu/publications/bed_bugs/files/bed_bug.pdf
Scorpions:
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74110.html
Dermested Beetle: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dermestidae
Mormon Crickets: http://www.unce.unr.edu/publications/files/ag/2006/fs0616.pdf